Wildfires Are Reversing Years of US Air Quality Gains, Study Finds

Tailpipe emissions standards implemented early this century helped reduce smog levels. Longer, more intense fire seasons have erased much of that progress.

By Avril Silva
June 9, 2026
Gina Ferazzia/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images via Inside Climate News 
Avril-Silva

Avril Silva is an award-winning journalist and an Outrider fellow at Inside Climate News. 

 
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